Imaging of Ep-CAM Positive Metastatic Cancer in the Lymph System

摘要

The majority of cancer mortalities occur not from the primary tumor but rather from distant metastases. Since the lymphatic system provides a route for the metastatic spread of cancer, it is not surprising that lymph node status serves as the primary prognostic indicator in most cancers. Currently, occult lymph node staging requires surgical removal of lymph nodes for subsequent biopsy, which in itself has significant morbidity. Specifically, in the case of breast cancer, axillary node resection is associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema. This research plan aims to develop a unique imaging agent to identify metastatic tumor cells within the lymph nodes of cancer patients, initially with breast cancer patients. Development of a non-invasive methodology for nodal staging could eventually enable surgeons to intra-operatively differentiate cancer positive and negative lymph nodes, allowing for the specific resection of positive nodes and retention of cancer negative nodes.